PlantFiles: Beauty Bush
Kolkwitzia amabilis

Found this dormant vase-shaped shrub when we moved into our house. I thought it was too close to the foundation so cut it all down early that spring. Later in spring it started new growth and amazed us with profuse light pink flowers, not un-like snapdragons. It has been a source of great pleasure for going on 30 years, its' upright, arching branches reaching 15+ feet and it has peeling paper-like bark that makes it interesting all year round.

The ice of winter finally killed my 4 yr old bush back to the ground this past February, but it has now spread to 5 feet wide (!) and is getting taller every day! Now I'm trying to figure how to get it out of the space it's outgrown! They birds do love the berries!

This plant has survived 3 winters without protection in my Zone 3a garden. I started it from seed and it has grown to 30 inches tall. There are no flowers yet.

I have two of these plants, still quite young -- One is about 3 years old and blooms a bit, the other will be 2 years old this summer. But what impresses me is how easy they are to grow here. These have not had the best soil -- neutral to slightly alkaline, and very little organic matter and very sporadic watering. Yet both are growing nicely. Other examples in my area are stunning and mine show ever sign that they, too will be just as stunning some day.

Our one shrub is over 20 years old, approximately 12 feet tall . It is in close proximity to 2 Black Walnut trees. When in bloom it is breathtaking and the scent wafts through the house since it is near a livingroom window. Wish it had a longer bloom period.

I have grown this beauty for over ten years in Zone 4.

From seed, even in year 2, it did was very hardy.

Stunning in a large container here, in an area with some other unruly culprits in pots, i.e. bamboo. That probably is keeping the size down somewhat. Very minimal pruning just to keep it out of the pathway, and the bloom is outstanding. Winters over in container with no protection here in Zone 9, with typical winter temps of upper 20's to mid 30's.

My Kolkiwitias are 3-4 years old started from seed. They haven't even flowered yet but I'm already impressed.

I planted them away from the house where the sun seems to get the hottest and the soil the driest and nothing phases it.

The foliage isn't at all unattractive and it's even evergreen in my zone.

Update May 20, 2007:

The plant I have in the front of the house in full sun has finally flowered and the flowers are gorgeous. They have a heavenly, sweet scent. The flowers are lasting pretty long too and show no sign of fading yet.

The bush I have in the backyard that gets a little bit of shade hasn't flowered.

This plant really holds up in hot and dry situations, humid and hot situations, soggy soil and dry soil and cold winters. VERY easy and rewarding to grow.

New update May 2012:
Um, wow. This has become one of my all time favorite plants. There's nothing to dislike about it. Every year both shrubs, in full sun and part sun, are just shrouded in masses of flowers.

The shape of the shrub usually is pretty uniform and pleasing. I'm considering pruning one to correct the uniformity of it's branching habit. However, they really don't seem to require pruning for any other reason or even any upkeep at all.

Insects, disease and weather are never a problem. I don't fertilize or water them. They get grass clippings that get blown their way when the lawn is mown.

It doesn't reseed or creep at all, however you can easily make clones. Even cuttings are easy.

The only thing that could make this plant better would be if it provided fruit or something edible to enjoy.

This very striking shrub is borderline hardy in Ottawa, Canada (just 100 miles north of Lake Ontario). I've had some die-back some years, but it's very well established and grows to about 6x6 ft. here, in a sandy, somewhat acidic soil. Features long arching branches smothered in blooms for about 3 weeks in June. Smells like mothballs, so just feast your eyes and not your nose!

The height is listed as 4-6 foot. My son has 2 in his yard.
We don't know how old they are buy they are at least 12 feet high x 10 feet wide! This is in Michigan!
They are beautiful while in bloom.

We have 15'-20' tall beauty bushes growing next to our home and they more than live up to their name. Finches and small songbirds love to nest in them due to their complex branching. Can be used as a privacy screen. Pruning can be done if structure is desired but natural growth is more desirable especially if sun can get to the base of the plant. The more shade in the environment, the more unruly the branching seems to be.

The breath-takingly beautiful flowers on this shrub make this highly garden-worthy if adequate space can be given. It grows tall and round, and should remain unpruned for best flowering effect. It may be difficult to locate sources for this shrub, however; it is not common in the trade.